Faction Wars and Ancient Secrets: Adding Greyhawk Politics to the Common Ground Guild
Greyhawk is one of D&D’s richest settings, known for its intricate political intrigue and ancient mysteries. Integrating these elements into the Common Ground Guild of Greyhawk transforms your West Marches campaign into more than just dungeon crawls and treasure hunts—it becomes a living, breathing world where the stakes feel real. Here’s how I’m weaving Greyhawk’s political factions and ancient secrets into the Common Ground Guild’s adventures, complete with examples and resources to help you do the same.
Why Add Politics to a West Marches Campaign?
West Marches campaigns thrive on player agency, and Greyhawk’s political factions provide endless opportunities for meaningful player choice. These factions don’t just influence the world—they are the world. Players deciding which side to align with, betray, or ignore creates ripple effects that resonate across sessions.
- For example, if a group of adventurers smuggles rare artifacts to the Scarlet Brotherhood, how might that destabilize relations with the Knights of the Watch or the Iron League?
Key Factions to Feature
In the Common Ground Guild, I’ve chosen a few iconic Greyhawk factions to serve as power players:
1. The Scarlet Brotherhood
- Role: Cloaked in secrecy, the Brotherhood uses manipulation and espionage to achieve their goals of racial superiority.
- Example Adventure Hook: A player group discovers a Brotherhood spy infiltrating the Guild—what do they do with this knowledge?
- Resource: Living Greyhawk Gazetteer provides detailed lore on this faction.
2. The Knights of the Watch
- Role: A chivalrous order guarding against incursions from the Pomarj and other threats.
- Example Adventure Hook: The Knights offer a bounty for an orc chieftain terrorizing local villages, but another group uncovers evidence the Knights may be hiding darker secrets.
- Resource: The Greyhawk Wiki includes articles on the Knights of the Watch.
3. The Silent Ones of Keoland
- Role: Mysterious wizards safeguarding ancient knowledge, often at odds with adventurers seeking magical power.
- Example Adventure Hook: The Guild uncovers a cursed artifact tied to Vecna, and the Silent Ones demand its immediate surrender—will the party comply or attempt to keep it?
How to Introduce Factions to Players
Incorporating factions into a West Marches campaign requires careful planning. Here’s how I’ve approached it:
1. Faction Representatives in the Hub
Each faction has an NPC stationed at the Guild’s headquarters, offering quests, rewards, or cryptic warnings. For example:
- A Scarlet Brotherhood agent might quietly offer bribes for sensitive information.
- A Knight of the Watch could publicly post bounties but secretly recruit spies for undercover work.
2. Faction-Based Quests
Create quests tied to each faction’s goals. For instance:
- Retrieve an ancient map from a rival faction’s vault.
- Sabotage an upcoming alliance between two political rivals.
3. Faction Rivalries
Let the players’ choices influence relationships between factions. For example, aiding the Knights of the Watch could lead to open hostility from the Scarlet Brotherhood. These rivalries create tension and raise stakes for player decisions.
Incorporating Ancient Secrets
Greyhawk is steeped in forgotten lore, from the demi-god Iuz to Vecna’s lost relics. Here’s how I’ve woven ancient secrets into the campaign:
1. Scattered Lore Pieces
Place fragments of ancient lore (scrolls, ruins, or whispered legends) across the world. For example:
- A dungeon containing a map to Vecna’s supposed resting place.
- An NPC claiming to have seen a servant of Iuz in disguise.
2. Artifact-Based Quests
Ancient artifacts tie factions and secrets together. A key artifact might serve as both a treasure to pursue and a political pawn. For example:
- The Hand of Vecna surfaces in the Guild’s vault, sparking rival factions to scheme for its acquisition.
Resources to Explore Greyhawk’s Politics
- Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (3rd Edition): A must-have for understanding Greyhawk’s factions, history, and geography.
- Greyhawk Wiki (greyhawkonline.com): A community-driven resource with detailed faction and lore entries.
- Classic Modules like The Temple of Elemental Evil or The Keep on the Borderlands: These adventures introduce key locations and NPCs tied to Greyhawk’s political landscape.
- Dungeon Master’s Guild (dmsguild.com): Search for Greyhawk-themed supplements created by other DMs.
Final Thoughts
Adding politics and ancient secrets to the Common Ground Guild of Greyhawk has transformed the campaign into a more immersive, interconnected experience. Players now feel their choices shape the world, while the constant undercurrent of political intrigue keeps them coming back for more.
Whether they align with the Scarlet Brotherhood, fight alongside the Knights of the Watch, or uncover ancient horrors, the Guild ensures every adventurer’s actions leave a mark on Greyhawk’s ever-evolving story.
If you’re running a West Marches campaign, I encourage you to embrace Greyhawk’s depth—it’s the perfect setting for intrigue, exploration, and epic storytelling.